Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Thick and soft pumpkin pancakes have cottage cheese and Greek yogurt for protein and use a special technique to get the fluffiest texture!

Why you’ll love these pancakes

• Steaming for a thick, moist and almost custardy texture: These pumpkin pancakes are adapted my original cottage cheese pancakes (a copycat version of the pancakes from Arthurs Nosh Bar in Montreal!). These start with a thick batter that’s too thick to cook like a typical pancake. Steaming helps fully cook the pancakes while also keeping the centers moist and a little doughy.
• Light pumpkin spiced: Swapping in some pumpkin puree and spices gives these a cozy fall flavor profile.
• Packed with protein: The original recipe from Arthurs Nosh Bar uses nearly a 1:1 ratio of sour cream to cottage cheese in the pancakes, but Greek yogurt works just as well and adds more protein.

How I adapted the recipe

These were a straightforward adaptation from the original recipe:

• Swapping out the milk/water for pumpkin puree
• Brown sugar or maple syrup instead of granulated sugar
• Slightly increased sweetness because the pumpkin needs more sweetness to balance the tang
• Added a mix of cinnamon and pumpkin spice (but you can swap in a mix of ginger, nutmeg and cloves for the pumpkin spice)

With these changes, you can expect a subtle pumpkin flavor with a light level of spice (even though 2.5 teaspoons of spice feels like a lot!). These pancakes are still very mildly sweet–I like topping them in a generous amount of maple syrup. Texture-wise, they have the same doughy-soft, almost custardy texture as the original pancakes!

Ingredients

• Cottage cheese: I recommend whole milk cottage cheese in this recipe as higher fat will always taste better. However, skim or low fat cottage cheese will also work.
• Greek yogurt: Again, whole milk Greek yogurt will yield the best results. I tested this recipe with Trader Joe’s whole milk Greek yogurt and Fage–I really think Fage’s thicker, creamier texture yielded better results, but again you can use what you have on hand.
• Pumpkin puree: Looking for pure pumpkin puree with no other ingredients (NOT pumpkin pie mix). However, if you have leftover pumpkin pie mix you’re trying to use up, it could work in this recipe–it’ll just be a bit sweeter than intended.
• Large egg: In this recipe, you can use a cold egg straight from the fridge.
• Oil: You’re using just a tiny amount of oil, so literally any kind will work–olive, vegetable, canola, grapeseed, coconut, etc. If you use low fat cottage cheese or yogurt, I’d recommend increasing this slightly by a teaspoon or two to compensate for the lower fat content.
• Brown sugar or maple syrup: I tested this recipe both ways and either brown sugar or maple sugar will work as a sweetener. I slightly prefer the texture of brown sugar (feels just a tad fluffier), but use what you prefer!
• Baking powder: We’re using a generous 2 tsp of baking powder for extra lift.
• Salt: A whole teaspoon of salt may seem like a lot, but I find it lends itself to well-seasoned pancakes. If you like things less salty, you can reduce this to 1/2 tsp.

How to make cottage cheese pancakes

These pancakes are easy to make in one bowl. The resulting mixture is extremely thick, so don’t be surprised if it looks more like a dough than a loose batter!

Storage and reheating

These pancakes will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I like to either microwave them or pop them in a toaster oven for easy reheating!